Let’s face it – anxiety is capable of ruining the best moments for you. Sure, it can be rewarding and exciting to get out of the monotonous 9 to 5 routine and break away from all the regular-day things, but there’s certainly no avoiding the hassles and chaos; the never-ending flight lines, the traffic jam, the unpleasant weather, worries about the kids, pets, and work. Travel anxiety can hamper with the brains of even the strongest of us.
It can make you feel against going out of your comfort zone and see whatever is out there, but is it really fine not to travel at all because of it? Most certainly not! Here’s what you can do to avoid travel anxiety –
Recognize what can stress you out and avoid it
Having a plan while travelling is looked like a bad thing because it limits you and keeps you away from the magic which lies there. But foreseeing the probable stress and anxiety causing factors and avoiding them doesn’t always count as planning things. For example –
Fear of missing flight/train: The fear is real. If you have a history of missing trains or showing up at the flight gates just before it is shut closed, well, avoid it. Without panicking, start your day as if you have to reach 2 hours before the timings.
Avoid Mini heart attacks: Keep all your documents which might be useful in a pouch, and also get them photocopied and keep one at your home and one in the different bag from the pouch.
Download offline maps: The network won’t always be there, so just in case you get lost, keep offline maps and pin your hotel and essential places on it.
Make a checklist: No one wants to take a long journey without having some music to listen. But you might have to do it if you forget your headphones, so make a checklist and examine it before leaving.
Take it easy: Having a plan is not always a bad thing, but being stubborn about one is indeed poor. So – avoid overdoing it! You must not exhaust yourself with thinking about all the things you are going to miss. The fellow hostellers and people in your hotel might have an exciting story to tell, but you don’t need to include it. You can add it to your bucket list.
Some other day: The bucket-list you came with doesn’t need to be completed necessarily. You can do it some other day if not being able to do it is stressing you out.
No excuses: You don’t need to worry about the perfect weather; you merely need to be prepared for it.
Not everyone is terrible: While you are at an unfamiliar place, you might be driven to think that everyone there is trying to get you. Well, not everyone! Relax! There are good people out there you want to help. And they are there in good number.
Reach out: It is perfectly normal to reach out to your family or loved ones if you are not feeling very good. Being totally cut-off from your world is not a compulsion while you are on the roads. You are allowed to make calls.